Wecta facts for kids
Wecta (also known as Wægdæg in Old English or Vegdagr in Old Norse) is a special figure from old stories. He is mentioned in two very old books: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Historia Brittonum.
Even though Wecta is seen as a mythological (or legendary) person, he shows up in the family trees (called genealogies) of important people. These family trees say he was an ancestor of famous Saxon leaders like Hengest and Horsa, who were early kings of Kent. He was also an ancestor of Aella of Deira and his son Edwin of Northumbria.
Who Was Wecta?
Wecta is described as a son of Woden in a book called the Prologue to the Prose Edda. In this book, he is called Vegdeg. It says he was a powerful king who ruled a place called East Saxony.
Wecta's Family Tree
In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Historia Brittonum, Wecta is listed as the father of Witta. Witta, in turn, was the father of Wihtgils. However, in the Prose Edda and another collection of old Anglo-Saxon family trees (called the Anglian collection), the order of Witta and Wihtgils is switched around. This shows how old stories can sometimes have small differences!
See also
- Anglo-Saxon mythology
- Germanic mythology
- Godwulf
- Norse mythology
- English mythology
